Chapter 15: Citadel of Doom

"You sent Omi 1500 hundred years into the past without any idea how to get him back?!" Kimiko's scream seemed to make things rattle through the dark basement that they were standing in.

"This never came up in the beta testing!" Jack defended weakly. "I mean I can only travel back two seconds," he pointed out. Clay's arms were folded as he watched Kimiko about to go nuclear. Rory had a hand to her face.

"You...you...you…" Kimiko struggled to think of the word.

"Doofus?" Clay suggested.

"Thank you," Kimiko nodded at him. "You doofus!" she whirled around and screamed at Jack. "You trapped Omi in the past forever!" Kimiko grabbed his jacket and shook him violently.

"As fun as this is to watch, and as much as he deserves this," Rory stepped in, freeing Jack and shoving him away from the furious girl. "We still have a huge problem on our hands," she reminded Kimiko.

"I can fix this!" Jack insisted as he backed away, fixing his coat. "Gimme a week, tops," he told them confidently. However, the ground behind him suddenly exploded, and a golem ripped through the time machine. Eyes wide, he turned slowly to stare at the monster that towered over him, and screamed. "Okay, I'll need more than a week," he admitted. The golem raised its arms, and as it brought them down on Jack, Clay grabbed him and yanked him backwards. He cried out, face-planting a wall, and the three remaining Apprentices moved into fighting stances.

"We got us a sack full of trouble," Clay groaned.

"I hear that," Kimiko glared up at the monster.

"Light!"

"Fire!"

"Earth!" the three ran in, and as Kimiko distracted the golem by dodging its attacks and leaping over its head, Clay grabbed a robot's arm and slammed it on the golem's head. However, it caused the arm to shatter, and the golem glared, grabbing him.

"Clay!" Kimiko and Rory kicked the golem, only to howl in pain as they found out the hard way that the golem was as hard as it looked. Clay struggled in its grip, before it headbutted him and tossed him onto a table.

"Jackbots, annihilate-ify!" Jack's voice echoed as Rory pulled Clay back to his feet and they leapt back into the fight. Robots surrounded the monster, and the three Apprentices dove for cover as the robots opened fire. Smoke kicked up as the ground rumbled, and after a moment the robots turned and gave a thumbs up to Jack, who was peeking out from behind the table. "Oh yeah, that's my boys!" he smirked, proud. "Shifting gears, and kicking rears," he bragged as the three dusted themselves off.

"Easy Jack," Kimiko rolled her eyes. "Wuya's still out there," she pointed out, and he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, this cattle-drive is just getting started," Clay nodded.

"Plus, she made a full army of those things. Beating one is a drop in the ocean," Rory shrugged.

"You're just saying that cause you were getting pasted," Jack scoffed at their attitude. "Not like my boys!" he continued to cheer for his robots as the three sighed, exhausted. His cheers stopped, however, as the ground rumbled, and the ceiling was lifted. They stared up at the even bigger golem who now held Jack's house in one hand, and glared down at them.

"Wow, that's...big," Dojo gulped.

"How about your lads take that thing on?" Rory asked Jack, who fell to his knees.

"I surrender!" he wailed. Rory put a hand to her face.

Rory had quickly abandoned any notions of trying to escape from the prison she was being carried in. Five Golems walked back to Wuya's fortress, carrying one of each of the prisoners in cages in their stomachs, with bars that allowed them to look out. She sat cross-legged, leaning against the bars and looking out. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as they reached the fortress, and the constant presence of Wuya grew stronger.

"May I present your fallen comrades," Wuya's voice echoed as they reached the steps to her throne. "The Xiaolin Warriors," she chuckled, a hand on Raimundo's shoulder as he watched the golems line up. While Rory and Clay just leaned against the bars, Kimiko was still struggling. "Delicious. My domination of the world is now...complete," she smiled to herself.

"Uh, Wuya?" Raimundo spoke up, eyes on the prisoners. "You might wanna do a headcount. You're short one Omi," he pointed out. Wuya's eyes widened, and she turned back quickly.

"Omi?" she realised he was right, and vanished in a puff of smoke. She reappeared in front of the golems, glaring down at Dojo. "Where's Omi?" she demanded. The dragon frowned, thinking about it, but as he opened his mouth to speak, Clay answered instead.

"Frankly, it's none of your business, ma'am," he said in a toneless voice. Wuya turned her glare on him; her eerie green eyes seeming to radiate power. She then smirked.

"Oh?" Wuya straightened up, and raised her hand. Green flames sparked to life, emitting a creepy light. "Well, as they say: I have ways of making you talk," she threatened.

"He's trapped in the past!" Jack's shout earned Wuya's attention.

"What?!" Raimundo demanded.

"You know…" Rory sighed, legs hanging out of the prison between the bars. "I don't know what I expected," she said, watching as Wuya turned to Jack.

"Yeah! He travelled back in time to ask some guy named Dashi for help," Jack spoke quickly, giving up all the information without any prompting.

"Omi is in the past?" Wuya asked, surprised.

"Yes, and now he's trapped there," Kimiko gave up the information, seeing no point in hiding it when Jack was already giving up all the information.

"And it was me who sent him back, Wuya! I was really on your side all the way!" Jack grinned up at Wuya. "Stupid Omi fell right into our trap! You can let me out now," he patted the bars.

"Forget it Jack," he shied away when Wuya leaned in close. "I'm not buying," she told him, unimpressed.

"Really? Even if I whimper?" Jack pouted up at her.

"Omi is really trapped in the past?" Raimundo asked, horrified at what he was hearing.

"What do you care?" Rory snapped at him, not liking how he seemed to be concerned. "You were happy enough to let us 'beg for mercy' earlier," she pointed out, and he looked away.

"We'll never see him again, thanks to you!" Kimiko glared at him, just as angry.

"I hope you feel guilty about it!" Dojo shouted.

"Yeah, nice going, you two-faced fink!" Clay growled as Raimundo stared at the ground.

"I never wanted anything to happen to you guys!" he defended, turning away. "I just wanted my due…" Raimundo muttered.

"And now you've got it, Raimundo," Wuya put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him closer. "To the dungeon with them," she ordered the golems, turning to walk away.

"Wait!" Raimundo called, stopping the golems. He ran after Wuya as she started to make her way back up the stone steps. "Wait! Wuya, what if these guys, you know, swear their loyalty to you? Maybe they could maybe sorta...live in the palace...with me?" he asked, smiling hopefully up at the witch.

"If they swear their loyalty," Wuya agreed, looking intrigued. Raimundo's smile widened, and he turned back to them.

"Come on guys! You won't believe the stuff she's got! Video games, racecars, speedboats-"

"Sold!" Jack shouted quickly. "You can let me go now," he patted the stone bars again.

"The offer's not for you, Jack," Wuya denied coldly.

"You really hold a grudge," he grumbled, slumping back and sulking.

"Guys? Wuya rules the whole world. So come on, join the winning team already! What do you say?" Raimundo offered, looking to his former friends.

"What do we say?" Kimiko gasped, eyes bright. "How about...dream on!" she screamed, making Raimundo jump back, startled by her anger.

"I'd sooner kiss the backside of a mule," Clay scoffed.

"Forget it!" Dojo nodded.

"If you really thought we'd join the Heylin side for video games and cars, clearly you don't know us very well," Rory glared at Raimundo, angry that he would think so little of them.

"Oh?" Rory jumped when Wuya was suddenly beside her, leaning against the side of the golem. "Are you sure? I did tell you that we could do a lot if we worked together," she purred, making Rory frown as she remembered the offer right before Mala Mala Jong almost killed them.

"Why focus on me?" Rory asked her, not understanding. "You already have Raimundo, and you rule the world and all that shite. Why push me to join you?" she asked. Wuya's smirk just widened.

"You really don't know, do you?" she asked, leaning closer. Rory leaned back, pressing against the back of the cell. "You could be so much more than just a Dragon of Light," she murmured. Rory glared back at her, swallowing her fear.

"I said it last time, and I'll say it again. Hard. Pass," she said simply. Wuya sighed.

"So be it, Xiaolin Warriors," she didn't sound too upset as she walked back over to Raimundo. His head was lowered, and he didn't look up as Wuya stood beside him. "You can spend the rest of eternity in the dungeon," Wuya decided. As a hole opened up in the centre of the room, Raimundo watched as the five were spat out and dropped into the hole, crying out as they were swallowed up by the darkness.

Awakening in a cold cell, Rory groaned and got to her feet, looking around the cell that wasn't much bigger than the one the golem had kept her in.

"Well isn't this cheery?" she spoke, leaning against the bars as the others did the same. Beside Clay's cell, Dojo was stuck in what looked like a birdcage; too small for him to escape through and hanging from the ceiling.

"How many prisoners did Wuya think she was going to get?" Kimiko asked, looking out at the massive dungeon they'd been left in. Rory then sighed, sitting down as her mind remained on what Wuya had said before tossing them into the dungeons. "So, will Wuya keep us in prison here forever? Or let us out for good behaviour in five thousand years," Kimiko leaned against the bars, frustrated.

"Not to worry, my Xiaolin friends!" Dojo spoke from his tiny cage. "The old hag made a tactical error!" he declared.

"Really, Dojo?" Clay didn't sound very positive. "Cause from where I'm standing, it looks like Wuya's got it figured out eight ways to Sunday," he told the dragon.

"Ah, Clay," Dojo waggled a finger at him. "She forgot that the standard Dojo comes in two sizes!" he reminded them. "In moments I'll supersize myself and bust out of this cage!" Dojo announced. They watched as he started to change size, but the cage didn't budge, leaving him squashed inside. "Oooh...that was a bad idea," he groaned, shrinking back down again.

"You okay Dojo?" Rory called as he shuddered.

"Okay, so she might have remembered," Dojo groaned.

"Come on, there's gotta be a way we can get outta here!" Jack exclaimed, and they all turned glares on him.

"We?" Kimiko repeated in disbelief. "You're not one of us! You tried to go back to Wuya, remember?" she growled at him.

"Hey, what can I say? I like to keep my options open," Jack defended, unapologetic.

"Well, he is still evil," Rory turned and leaned against the bars. "I don't think anyone was surprised," she glared at the back of her cell.

"You okay Rory? Wuya was saying some really weird stuff to you," Kimiko moved to the side of her cell, closer to Rory's.

"I'm fine," Rory shook her head, but her glare didn't fade. "Don't worry about it. We need to focus on finding a way out," she said, which only made Kimiko's worry for the girl grow.

"Guys, I keep trying to find some ray of hope but…" Clay sat down, looking disheartened. "There just doesn't seem to be any light at the end of this tunnel," he sighed, only for light to suddenly shine brightly from a small hole nearby. "Wait a second…" they all stared at the line that burst from it. "I may have spoken too soon!" Clay immediately stood again. The cover over the hole burst open, and Omi peeked out.

"Indeed Clay, you most certainly have!" he declared as they all stared at him.

"Omi!" they exclaimed as he climbed out.

"Look out!" Dojo warned as the ground shifted behind the Dragon of Water. He looked around quickly to see two golems rising from the earth, and he dodged their attacks quickly.

"Orb of Tornami, Ice!" Omi yelled, freezing the two golems and shattering them with a powerful kick. "Hello friends," he turned to smile at them.

"Omi!" Kimiko smiled brightly, tears in her eyes. "But how? How did you get here?" she asked, unable to believe that he was back.

"It is a lengthy but very engaging tale, filled with both surprises and heartwarming-"

"Hate to interrupt your already riveting story, Omi," Jack interrupted. "But maybe you should get us out of here first?" he suggested. "You know, before Wuya shows up and turns us all crispy," he warned furiously.

"Oh yes, very wise," Omi nodded, not liking the sound of that. "Please step away from your cell doors," he requested. Everyone backed away from the bars, and Dojo braced himself. "Orb of Tornami, Ice!" Omi used the Shen Gong Wu to spray each of the cells with ice, freezing the stone solid. With quick strikes, Rory, Clay and Kimiko shattered the bars, and Dojo changed size, shattering his tiny cage into tiny fragments. Jack yelped when he tried to copy them, and felt something crack in his hand instead. He looked up when Rory stood in front of the cell. She opened her mouth, before shaking her head.

"You know what? I'm not even gonna try and warn you not to sell us out again," she decided, and grabbed hold of one of the frozen bars. It instantly shattered in her grip, and she then shattered the rest to free him. She then offered an oddly sweet smile. "Because Kimiko will probably be more than happy to break every bone in your body," she warned.

"Yep!" Kimiko nodded, before rushing over to Omi and hugging him tightly. Jack nodded, looking very nervous.

"Let's get outta here before Wuya sends more of those stone guys after us," Clay suggested.

"Yes! Follow me, my friends!" Omi led the group into the hole he'd come from, away from the dungeons.

Escaping the fortress, the group sat in what remained of the dead forest with a fire.

"We should be safe here," Clay returned from scouting the place out. "For a while, at least," he shrugged as he took a seat.

"How'd you do it, Omi? How'd you get back to our time?" Dojo asked, eager to hear the story.

"A time-travelling Shen Gong Wu, right Omi?" Clay guessed, nudging the boy. Omi grinned mysteriously.

"Gotta be," Kimiko nodded.

"It's so obvious," Jack agreed.

"Not quite," Omi chuckled.

"Really? Then what?" Rory asked, tilting her head. Omi's smile widened.

"When I realised that Jack Spicer had foolishly sent me into the past with no way to return..." Omi started, and both Kimiko and Rory shot Jack glares.

"How many times can I say 'my bad'?" Jack sulked.

"I admit I was...mildly worried," Omi continued, blushing as he recalled something much different. "Fortunately I had Grand Master Dashi, greatest of the Xiaolin Dragons, there to help me. Surely he would have an answer!" he exclaimed. "Unfortunately, the Shen Gong Wu that would have helped, had already been hidden away. I needed a new way to get home. I was struck by inspiration!" Omi told them, keeping his voice dramatic. "The only way I could to the future, was by waiting," he held out his arms. "So, that's what I did!" he announced brightly.

"You...waited?" Clay's head tilted in his confusion.

"For 1500 hundred years?" Dojo asked.

"But you don't have wrinkles...or liver spots," Kimiko pointed out. He looked the same as he had when he'd gone back in time.

"Or that old person smell," Jack sniffed warily.

"And y'know, you didn't die of old age," Rory pointed out, just as baffled as the rest.

"No," Omi confirmed proudly. "Because I had…the Orb of Tornami!" he pulled the Shen Gong Wu from his sleeve and spun it around like a ball. Rory managed a faint smile, seeing that Omi had clearly remembered what Jermaine had taught him. "I found the exact place where Wuya would one day raise her palace, and then, I froze myself!" His words made his audience stare. "There I waited, in frozen slumber, as the ages passed. Finally, 1500 years later, Wuya raised her palace, and with it...me!" Omi smiled proudly. "And so I was free to help you, my friends," he seemed oblivious to how stunned they were. "Though, I am still very cold…" Omi admitted. "Does anybody have a blanket?" he asked hopefully.

"No, but how about a big warm hug, you clever little monk you!" Kimiko hugged him tightly, and he blushed happily.

"That will do," he accepted. As well as getting another hug from the girl, her naturally higher temperature meant he was even warmer.

"So, was Dashi able to help you come up with a way to beat Wuya?" Rory asked hopefully. She was glad that Omi had managed to find a way back to them, but she hadn't forgotten the reason why he'd gone into the past in the first place.

"Yes," Omi nodded, sitting closer to the fire with Kimiko staying beside him. "He gave me...this," he pulled a small box from inside his sleeve.

"Hey, it's a puzzle box! Just like the one Wuya was in!" Jack recognised it, finding it identical to the one that his father had gifted him.

"Correct, Jack Spicer! All we need to do is open this box in the presence of Wuya!" Omi declared, and tried to open it. However, it wouldn't budge. "The only problem being...I do not know how to open it," he admitted.

"Uh...Omi...this plan is starting to sound half-baked," Clay warned as Dojo took the box from the boy.

"Oh no Clay, this plan is not at all baked!" Omi soothed, missing the meaning of his words entirely. "Master Dashi said that the box will open when the person who needs to open it opens it," he explained.

"What do you think, Dojo?" Rory asked, watching the dragon struggle to try and open it. "Do you remember Omi in the past?" she asked curiously. Dojo shrugged, handing the box back to Omi.

"Eh, things are a bit hazy around the time Dashi sealed away Wuya the first time," Dojo admitted with a shrug. "There was a lot of travelling and hiding Shen Gong Wu. I can't remember it all," he said. Rory sighed.

"Don't worry, I opened it before, I can open it again," Jack said confidently, leaning against the base of a tree.

"Great, now all we need is a plan to get us into the palace without Wuya capturing us first," Clay said, and Kimiko grinned widely.

"And I think I've got one!" she said, looking at the puzzle box.

"Do you have to walk so loud?" Rory complained to Jack as they crept into Wuya's palace.

"Do you have to be so rude?" he shot back, and the two ducked behind a wall as they heard golems run by, and peeked out to see Raimundo on the shoulders of one, chasing after Dojo. In the distance, she could see Omi wearing her hoody with the hood up, obscuring his face. While he had suggested being the one to go with Jack, Rory had volunteered. While her detection powers weren't working with anyone else, she could still sense Wuya, and could narrow in on her location.

"Come on," Rory rolled her eyes, trying not to regret her suggestion, and led Jack through the corridors.

"Why did you come with?" Jack asked as they walked. "I figured the cueball was the smarter choice, since they still think he's stuck in the past," he pointed out. Rory was quiet, and stopped suddenly, grabbing his arm. "Hey, I-" Jack was shushed, and she pulled him into the shadows as he felt the rumbles she'd felt first. More golems patrolled past, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

"Omi probably was the smarter choice. But this is the safer choice," she said quietly, pushing her hair from her face. It was tangled from days of chaos, knotted and, Rory suspected, full of sticks and leaves.

"You know, I'm not dumb," Jack said as they kept walking.

"No, you're an evil boy genius," Rory replied dryly, not looking around. Jack puffed his chest out despite her clear mockery.

"Exactly. And I know it has something to do with what Wuya said to you before we got tossed in the dungeons," he said. Rory glanced at him, eyes hard, and raised an eyebrow. She didn't think he was listening, sulking after being denied the chance to swap sides. "There's something weird about you, and Wuya wants it for herself. She was muttering about the 'Dragon of Light' after you got the Indigo Pyramid," he added.

"Huh. Didn't think you'd pay attention to anything outside robots and world domination," Rory admitted, stopping and turning to him. "Remember, Spicer. You wanted this as a temporary alliance, to defeat Wuya so you get your shot at taking over the world," she reminded him, forced to look up at the much taller boy. "So I'm not going to give you answers to something that honestly, I don't even know much about," she told him. Jack was quiet for a moment, before smirking. "What?" Rory frowned.

"You talk a lot for someone who pretends to be quiet, Rapunzel," he taunted her. Rory's irritation grew at the nickname that he still insisted on using, despite the multiple times she'd hit him.

"Come on. The sooner you open this stupid box, the sooner we don't have to put up with each other," she turned and started walking again. Finally they came to the main room, seeing Wuya at the top of the steps on her throne. She was sprawled across it, reading a magazine. Silently, the pair climbed the side of the steep rocks to avoid notice, with Rory helping Jack when he struggled compared to her easier time, well used to scaling walls.

When they finally reached the top, the two peeked up from their hiding place to Wuya, who didn't seem to notice them as she continued reading her magazine, which now had a picture of her on the front. "Okay, you're up," she whispered, handing Jack the puzzle box. She turned away, watching Wuya just in case she noticed them, before hearing Jack curse. "What are you doing?" she hissed when she turned back to see him struggling with the box.

"I'm trying! It won't open," he whispered back, handing it to her. Rory tried to open it as well, but it seemed welded shut.

"You said you could open it," Rory glared at him.

"I thought I could! I opened the first without a problem! This one must be different," Jack defended.

"Omi said it would open when the person who needed to open it, opened it," panic overtook Rory, and she struggled to try and open it. "So why won't it work?" she questioned, before Wuya's presence covered her entirely and made her light-headed. She swayed, falling into Jack before she could focus again.

"Would you like me to open it?" they looked up quickly as Wuya stood beside them, her hand glowing with green flames. "I'm sure I can open it this way!" she threw out her hand, and the two leapt away from her and down the steps.

"Eye of Dashi, Light!" Rory swung the beam of light at Wuya, stopping more of her attacks, but the beam shattered when it hit Wuya's open hand.

"How cute," she taunted, and Rory flipped out of the way of another attack. When she heard Jack scream, she looked up to see him surrounded by flames. Without thinking, she leapt up, grabbing his ankle, and yanked him out of the way of another attack.

"Whoa, wait a second!" Jack cried as she dangled from his leg, before they were hit with her green magic.

"Wuya! The prisoners escaped!" Raimundo yelled as he ran inside, followed by some of the golems. He'd chased the others down, and when they had started to fight back instead of escape, he'd grown suspicious. Especially when Dojo stayed in the sky with who he had thought was Rory. When a sharp wind had blown the hood down to reveal Omi, Raimundo had realised that he'd been set up. "I think it might have been a-" he stopped when he found Rory and Jack hovering upside down, throwing insults at each other as they remained stuck within Wuya's magic.

"Not to worry, Raimundo. They are no match for me," she laughed as Raimundo stared at them in surprise.

"I dunno why you look so surprised, Raimundo," Rory bit at him, holding the puzzle box tightly. "We were always going to try to stop her," she stated.

"Well well, the gang's all here," Wuya smirked as golems walked in, carrying Kimiko, Clay, Omi and Dojo.

"I'm guessing the box didn't work?" Clay asked, looking up at the two still upside down.

"Spicer couldn't open it," Rory shot the red-head a glare.

"Not like you did any better, Rapunzel," Jack glared back at her.

"You said you would open it!" Omi groaned, looking frustrated. "This is why I should have gone!" he complained. As Rory went to speak, the box was pulled out of her hands.

"No!" she moved to try and grab it back, only to flinch when the magic burned her hand.

"You got a magic puzzle box from Dashi?" Wuya examined the box, looking entertained at their idea. "Impressive effort Omi, I must say," she chuckled, looking down at the boy. "And how like Dashi, to give you the tool without the knowledge of how to use it," Wuya dropped it into Raimundo's hands as a golem stuffed Rory and Jack into its cage. "He always was a fool - a smart dresser, but a fool," she said, patting Raimundo's head.

"This is your fault," Rory grumbled as the two pushed against each other, cramped.

"You couldn't open it either," Jack grunted as her hand pushed into his face, shoving him against the side.

"Now, to unfinished business," Wuya turned to the prisoners. "Crush them!" she ordered.

"Not so fast, Wuya!" Dojo's shout made her pause, and the golems looked confused. "Once again, you've forgotten about my ability to change size!" he declared, only for the rocks to remain unchanged as he grew bigger, ending up squashed inside.

"She didn't forget last time, why would she forget now?" Kimiko sighed.

"Like I said, crush them," Wuya ordered, unbothered by the distraction. There was a loud grating noise as the insides of the golems began to shrink, squashing everyone inside.

"Wuya, wait!" Raimundo cried suddenly as Rory tried to pull her face away from Jack's chest. "You can't squish them like that!" he pleaded. The golems stopped, and everyone looked up in surprise.

"Oh Raimundo, you're quite right!" Wuya agreed readily, and Raimundo's eyebrows lifted hopefully. "No need to make a mess of my throne room," she nodded as if this was what the boy had meant. "Take them to the dungeon. And then crush them," she ordered. The golems grunted and turned away.

"Raimundo, please!" Clay yelled up to their former friend.

"Rai, stop her!" Kimiko pleaded. "You're good! We know it!" she insisted.

"Master Fung chose you for a reason!" Omi shouted. "You don't belong on the Heylin side!" he told Raimundo, who was quiet as he watched them being taken away.

"Rai, you're our friend!" Rory twisted, her elbow digging into Jack's stomach. "Come on!" she pleaded.

"Raimundo has proven his loyalty time and time again," Wuya pulled him into her arms. "And that's because I can give him anything he wants!" she laughed.

"Anything?" Raimundo looked up at her.

"Toys, money, Canada. Name it, and it's yours," Wuya offered. Raimundo's brow furrowed, and he looked back down at the golems. Determination ran through him.

"I want my friends!" with his declaration, Raimundo opened the puzzle box in his hands with ease, and a beam of golden light burst out. Wuya gasped, shying away from it.

"What are you doing?!" she demanded in horror. The golems stopped, turning, and the group watched as a spirit appeared in the light. "Dashi?!" Wuya's voice started to return to its creaking tone.

"Whoa, Wuya!" the spirit smirked. "The years have not been kind!" he taunted, before diving at Wuya and passing straight through her. She screamed, returning to her spirit-like body.

"No!" she screamed as she was sucked into the puzzle box, which shut tight.

"Well done, Dragon of the Wind," Dashi praised Raimundo who grinned as he turned back to his friends. The golems instantly vanished, and their prisoners fell to the ground. The entire palace began to rumble, and Raimundo tripped, falling down the steps.

"Get a move on, gang!" Clay shouted as the palace began to crumble without Wuya's magic sustaining it. They sprinted to the exit, only for the bridge to shatter under their feet. While Jack caught himself with his helipad, the others fell with cries, until Dojo caught them and flew up. Rocks continued to fall from the ceiling as they escaped, with Jack following with yelps as he narrowly avoided the rocks.

"Gods almighty," Rory mumbled, reaching back to him and grabbing his arm, dragging him onto Dojo's back before he could be caught in the collapse. The palace exploded, and green magic shot out. They watched as the ground below them started to return to how it had been - green and full of life as only a crater remained where the palace had been.

Barely able to believe it, they smiled at Raimundo, as Omi bumped his fist and Kimiko threw her arms around him, kissing his cheek and making him blush. Rory reached over, hitting his shoulder lightly with her fist and smiling at him. Clay high-fived him with a cheer, and they glanced over to where Jack was clinging to Dojo's back. He gave a weak thumbs up, trying not to throw up, and they watched as the world returned to normal.

The group returned to the Xiaolin temple, and to their relief it had also returned to normal. Master Fung had greeted them with relief, praising them for their victory before turning to Raimundo. The boy stood with his back to them outside the temple grounds, expecting the worst.

"Raimundo," he addressed him, arms folded. "For riches and glory, you betrayed us all," Master Fung stated, voice impassive.

"But he saved us all too!" Omi defended.

"Yeah, without him, we'd have been Texas toast!" Clay agreed.

"Or worse!" Kimiko exclaimed, nodding.

"He was the one who sealed Wuya away. We never could have stopped her without him," Rory backed him up as well.

"Guys, guys," Raimundo stopped them, touched that they would come to his defence after everything. "I did a lot of damage. So I gotta do whatever it takes to make it right again," he turned around, looking earnest.

"Whatever it takes, Raimundo?" Master Fung asked, still keeping any emotion hidden.

"Yes, Master Fung," Raimundo nodded, lowering his head. He stayed there as Master Fung approached, and was surprised when he offered a blue sash. "What's this?" he asked, confused.

"The sash of a Xiaolin Apprentice," Master Fung smiled. "It is yours," he offered. Raimundo lifted his hands to take it, before hesitating. Master Fung raised an eyebrow when he refused it.

"It's not that I don't want it, Master Fung, but...I'm not ready. Not yet," Raimundo said, and saw a true smile on the man's face. "But I will be someday. You know, if Omi helps me," he looked at the monk, who gave him a thumbs up with a bright grin.

Rory led the other four back into the temple after they'd said goodbye to Jack, who'd reaffirmed they would be enemies again when they next clashed over Shen Gong Wu. Nerves made her stomach churn, but she needed answers, and she knew the best person to ask was their teacher.

"Master Fung?" Rory called, and he turned around, having been checking the Shen Gong Wu that had been returned after Wuya's defeat.

"Yes, Aurora?" she swallowed nervously, and glanced at her friends before turning back to the teacher.

"When Wuya offered for us to swear loyalty to her, she said something to me," Rory said, shuffling as Master Fung waited patiently. "It was the second time she's said it. That we'd work well together. She then said that I could be so much more than the Dragon of Light. What does she mean?" she asked. Master Fung was quiet for a moment, before sighing.

"I had hoped to discuss this with you when you were older," his words weren't what Rory expected, but she followed when he led them over to sit. "As the Dragon of Light, you are the most in-tune with the side of good. You are aware of this, as it is the reason you can sense the evil of the Heylin side," Rory nodded, already knowing this from when she had first asked about her power.

"But what does that have to do with what Wuya said?" Omi asked, just as curious. Master Fung didn't respond straight away, but he kept his gaze level with Rory's.

"As the Dragon of Light, you would also be the most dangerous, were you to turn to the Heylin side," Rory frowned at his words. "Unlike the other Dragons, if the Dragon of Light were to turn to the Heylin side, there is no turning back," Raimundo's fists clenched at the comment, and Kimiko reached out, putting a hand on his arm. "If the Dragon of Light were to turn to the Heylin side, they would no longer be the Dragon of Light, but rather, the Dragon of Darkness," Rory suddenly felt a weight on her chest, and it suddenly became hard to breathe as a flash of her dreams came back to her.

"You don't want to remember me. The you that could be," her double, with red eyes and a black streak through her hair, told her.

"The...what?" her words only confused Rory more. Her twin sighed, shaking her head.

"It's too early for you to understand. You're only just starting to develop your powers, just like the other Dragons," she told Rory as her brow furrowed in the same frown that Rory knew she had. "Soon you'll learn the truth of your role, and I'm curious to see how your fate will play out in response."

"What does that mean, Master Fung?" Clay asked, struggling to understand what their teacher meant.

"It means, Clay, that the forces of evil will seek Aurora out for their own gains. If they were to succeed in turning her to their side, she could become unstoppable, and thus they would be so," Master Fung warned, his words grave.

"Rory, are you okay?" Kimiko shuffled over to the girl, who still felt the weight on her chest. She didn't speak, trying to process what he was telling her.

"I am sorry Aurora. There is a reason we wanted to wait-"

"We?" Rory cut him off, her head lifting as she finally found her words. Her mind raced, before an odd calm took over. "My parents knew, didn't they? Clay's dad didn't know much about any of this at all, but my parents do," Rory had always found it strange that Clay's parents hadn't known anything about the Shen Gong Wu until he visited the temple, while her parents had even known Master Fung beforehand.

"Aurora-"

"Is that why I…" Rory stopped and took a breath. "Is that why I was so...was I hidden away?" she demanded quietly. When Master Fung didn't reply straight away, she stood up.

"Rory, wait!" Kimiko reached out for her, but Rory walked over to the Shen Gong Wu .

"What are you doing?" Omi asked as they watched her, worried.

"I need some time to think, okay?" She was still quiet as she lifted the Golden Tiger Claws. Raimundo winced as he found it very familiar.

"Uh, I don't want to be a hypocrite, but are you sure-"

"Please. Just leave me alone for a bit," they stared, wide-eyed, as she slipped the claws onto her hand. "Golden Tiger Claws!" with that, she vanished through a portal.

"That is...not good," Omi summed up.

"No, no it's not," Kimiko agreed.

Dang, that kind of kicked off. I'm a little sad to see this part end, it's one of my favourite bits of the show and they hardcore nerfed Wuya after.

Hope you liked it!

Please review!